Progressive Insurance® donated 96 vehicles to veterans and their families as part of its ongoing commitment to driving progress on the road
Former medic and single mom Leah Moore and her children being honored during the 2024 Keys to Progress event.
In 2023, Leah Moore was struggling. A single mom and former medic in the Texas Air National Guard, Leah had no family support where she lived in Seattle, WA, which made raising her two girls and working full-time a significant challenge. When her only car broke down, Leah found herself struggling more than ever.
But in 2024, Leah’s burden became a little lighter. Moore is now one of many veterans that have been honored during this year’s Keys to Progress event, an annual giveaway that took place in over 60 cities across the country. Along with Moore, close to 100 other veterans and their families recieved the keys to free, reliable transportation as a thank you for their military service.
Providing reliable transportation to deserving veterans who’ve protected our country
According to the US Department of Transportation, approximately 40 percent of veterans live in rural areas where affordable transportation options are limited. Limited transportation can greatly affect a veteran’s quality of life, since reliable transportation is necessary for work, medical care, and other services.
Gail Nicholson, a veteran who served in the United States Army during the Persian Gulf Crisis from 1993 - 1997, knows this challenge personally. Gail relied on public transportation as she supported her family since the COVID-19 pandemic when her mother fell extremely ill. As a senior citizen, traveling by bus, with schedules and lines that are not always accessible, it has not always been easy.
With veterans like Gail Nicholson in mind, Progressive founded the Keys to Progress event in 2013, hoping to alleviate some of these common struggles that veterans face every day. Now, Gail will be able to care for her family and travel freely without the need for public transit.
Veteran Gail Nicholson at the 2024 Keys to Progress event.
How the dream of independence becomes a reality
There’s no doubt that access to a car can make anyone’s life easier—but it also comes with additional expenses that require additional financial commitment. To help with this, multiple organizations have come together with Progressive to make Keys to Progress possible.
First, local charities and Veracity Research Co. Investigations (VRC), a veteran-owned and operated company, help to identify deserving veterans in each region. Once the recipients are chosen, Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. (IAA) provides a Powertrain 12-month protection plan for all donated vehicles, while 1-800-Charity Cars donates resources to help with vehicle titling and registration. Enterprise, a rental car company, pays for the insurance for each donated vehicle for the first six months, and Progressive writes the insurance policies funded by Enterprise. Finally, the gently used vehicles are donated through Charity Cars.
The result is a well-deserved gift that enables each veteran to get back on the road and move ahead in life as easily as possible.
Supporting veterans on the road and beyond
Sometimes too, a veteran needs an assist in getting their small business off and running as well. Through Keys to Progress, Progressive has also donated three tractor trailers to worthy recipients.
Lt. Colonel Rose a 30-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was the 2022 recipient of a commercial through the Keys to Progress program. He shared, “Since being selected as the 2022 Keys to Progress recipient, the vehicle has exceeded all expectations of being an owner operator. Myself, including so many others, have been blessed by this magnificent machine. This blessing has catapulted my business forward, the donation of operating costs has played a significant part in minor repair costs along with being able to forgo a truck payment.”
Lt. Colonel Rose has been able to grow his trucking business to a second truck and he is working to purchase a third due to the revenue made from being a Keys to Progress recipient. He has also taken his earnings to donate to various charities and is inspired by showing his appreciation and patriotism for the United States.
But Keys to Progress is truly a passion project, and one that has impacted many deserving veterans. Collectively, Progressive has been able to donate vehicles to more than 1,100 military families, in addition to gifting three fully-loaded commercial trucks to veteran truck drivers and 28 commercial vehicles to select veteran organizations.
Cars at Progressive's annual Keys to Progress event.
“Our Keys to Progress initiative is a wonderful example of Progressive's purpose to help people move forward and live fully," said Tricia Griffith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Progressive. "We're proud to be celebrating our 12th year of supporting veterans and will present almost 100 well-deserving veterans and their families with keys to a vehicle that will provide them reliable transportation to get on the road and move forward in life."
Whether it’s for veterans like Leah or Gail, Keys to Progress is continuing to showcase its commitment to driving progress on the road and providing transportation for veterans, military-related organizations, and veteran-owned small business owners across the country for years to come.
Whether it’s for veterans like Leah, Gail, or Lt. Colonel Rose, Keys to Progress is continuing to showcase its commitment to driving progress for veterans, military-related organizations, and veteran-owned small business owners across the country for years to come.
Older people benefit from investing in, offering experience, and hanging with younger folks.
When we get older, we want to get better. Sure, we will tire more quickly and more often than our younger selves, but that doesn’t mean we want our later years to be ones of boredom, solitude, and stagnation. Well, a recent study is showing the secret to a more fulfilling and happier life when you become a senior. The answer? Giving back to the youth.
A study published in the The Journals of Gerontology: Series B is showing that the majority of seniors that live healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives express a trait known as “generativity.” Generativity is a concern for people aside from family, most notably younger generations. It’s the desire to engage and guide with the “whippersnappers” on a societal level through social interactions and service.
Older volunteers can help boost community projects, like a neighborhood garden, alongside younger adults.Photo credit: Canva
“Contrary to popular perceptions of old age as a period of decline and inactivity, a growing body of empirical research and the lived experiences of many people reveal a different reality,” said Mohsen Joshanloo, the author of the study and an associate professor at Keimyung University. “Old age can be a time of fulfillment, productivity, and meaningful social contribution, with generativity playing a critical role in promoting active and successful aging.”
The traits within older people who practice generativity are also ones that happen to make a person happier and more whole during their senior years. They are more energetic and active, usually due to having more social connections with people from different generations and thus being more physically active to keep up with them. Generativity also tends to make elders more open to new experiences and encourage curiosity, which in turn gives them more exposure to different kinds of people from different demographics. Their willingness to share their wisdom and experience with the youth promotes more cognitive function to keep up with them, and engaging conversations keep the brain more practiced and elastic.
In short, the best thing we can do for ourselves for our lives as we get older is to team up with folks who are younger!
There is no real "us versus them" when it comes to generations (except in chess games).Photo credit: Canva
If you have scrolled through the internet on your phone, you are bound to have seen a wide variety of boomer versus Millennial versus Gen Z and back again articles, videos, TikToks, and other forms of content. You may have even read or seen some of them here on Upworthy. But while many of these articles are intended to be good fun in poking at the various generational “teams,” there are also many that focus on the division and derision among them.
But every generation eventually gets old. It’s for the best everyone involved to push aside stereotypes and look at what we can offer the generation below us. After all, in exchange for experience to the youth, the youth can provide knowledge of the new. A bit of senior wisdom can provide youthful energy and execution of that wisdom. Who knows, maybe age won’t be anything really but a number?
Just chatting over coffee can do wonders for people of all ages.Photo credit: Canva
So if you’re an older person, get involved! Join community volunteer groups with the youngsters. Have coffee with your 30-something-year-old neighbors next door. Teach that teenager across the hall how to play chess. Go to the local high school basketball game to cheer them on, even if you don’t have kids that attend there. Be “that old guy” in the yoga class.
The more exposure you have to the youth, the less likely you’ll develop preconceived notions about them. At the same time, they’ll have less preconceived notions about you in return.
'Scary' dog makes dolphin noises instead of barking, causing confusion
Staffordshire Bull Terriers are one of the breeds often mistaken for an American pit bull but both are a cross between bulldogs and different types of terriers but they're not the same dogs. Both dog breeds have large block heads and that famous "smile" but they have height, weight, and coat color differences. But one big thing they have in common is their goofy personalities.
Owners of one of these muscular love bugs never know what kind of dramatics they're going to get when they choose them as a pet. You may wind up with a dog that prefers jammies and snuggles over chasing a ball or one that likes to pretend their legs are broken every time it's time for a walk. These dogs will keep you laughing while simultaneously making you scratch your head.
Enzo is a blue Staffordshire Bull Terrier who has decided to trade in his threatening bark for something a little less intimidating. Now, some may think that dogs don't really get a choice in barking or not, they tend to have three factory sound settings: barking, growling and whining. Remember the bit about these breeds being full of personality? Well, that includes trying out new sounds to make in order to communicate with their humans...or to mess with them.
Relaxed Pit Bull GIF by The BarkPostGiphy
There's really no way to know since they can't talk, but Enzo appears to be teasing his friends on social media with his interesting attempt at a bark. In a recent video uploaded to TikTok, the dog is preparing to eat but when he's told to speak, a chirp like sound comes out. This prompted viewers to ask if the dog knows how to bark so in an effort to prove Enzo does in fact know how to bark, his human tries to get him to do it on camera. She fails miserably.
"Enzo, they want to know if you can do a real bark," the woman says while zooming the camera in on the grey eyed dog. Nothing Enzo did could be considered a bark. Instead of barking, the block-headed doggo does his best impression of a hungry dolphin. After Enzo's attempt, the woman clarifies, "no like a real bark, Enzo. Like a ruff," but her four-legged companion let out more dolphin sounds.
Clearly Enzo is a comedian because his human shares that she's heard him bark so she knows he can do it but the pup is not giving up the shtick. People could not get enough of his refusal to sound like an actual dog.
"I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t that," one person laughs.
"Staffies are all a mix between a dolphin and a velociraptor. i always tell mine no other dog can understand her," another jokes.
Pit Bull Zoomies GIF by The DodoGiphy
"Wrong barking software, needs to be updated," someone else says.
Enzo and his mom continue to make videos showing off the unique way he "talks" but no matter how much chatting happens, viewers never find out what his bark sounds like. Someone even asked if the sweet pup was raised with turkeys to explain his way of communicating but that isn't the case. Through a very squeaky follow-up video, Enzo's human shares that they had been teaching him the speak command and the noise everyone loves is what came out.
The internet may never get to hear Enzo's real bark but there's more fun in guessing how he wound up sounding like Flipper.